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Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said Tuesday that he has established a “back-to-school task force” to help school districts offer as much “uninterrupted” in-person learning as possible in the second semester. Most districts have shifted to virtual instruction as COVID-19 cases rise.
“Schools are a reasonably safe place,” Polis said. At the same press conference, he said Colorado is at “a height of infection,” with an estimated 1 in 41 Coloradans contagious, and warned residents against gathering with anyone outside their household for Thanksgiving.
The task force will meet for the first time Wednesday. Polis said it will work with parents, educators, school board members, and public health officials to look at protocols and “examples of what works.” He did not offer details about members or the process of selecting them.
Colorado does not have a statewide strategy for opening or closing school buildings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather, each of Colorado’s 178 school districts is making its own decision based on guidance from state education and local public health officials.